In this Oct. 24, 2018, photo released by the U.S. Air Force, members of the 7th Reconnaissance Squadron prepare to launch an RQ-4 Global Hawk at Naval Air Station Sigonella, Italy. Iran's Revolutionary Guard shot down a U.S. RQ-4 Global Hawk on Thursday, June 20, 2019, amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington over its collapsing nuclear deal with world powers, American and Iranian officials said, though they disputed the circumstances of the incident. (Staff Sgt. Ramon A. Adelan/U.S. Air Force via AP)

The Latest: Trump says he's in 'no hurry' to strike Iran

June 22, 2019 - 7:03 am

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The latest on The United States and Iran's tensions over the shoot-down of a massive U.S. drone (all times local):

8:10 p.m.

President Donald Trump says he abruptly called off the military strikes on Iran Thursday because the likely deaths of 150 Iranians would have been out of proportion to the shootdown of an unmanned American surveillance drone.

He is also indicating he still hopes for talks with Iranian leaders rather than any escalation of military conflict.

Trump says he is "in no hurry," adding that increasingly severe sanctions meant to push Iran to the nuclear negotiating table are "biting" the Iranian economy.

Iran, though, is showing no public inclination to negotiate. It is unclear whether Trump, who says the U.S. military had been "cocked and loaded" to hit Iran, is considering new military options.

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4:15 p.m.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin says Iran's financial sector will soon face penalties if it doesn't work to stop evading international guidelines designed to combat money laundering.

Mnuchin says Iran has not taken steps to comply with the guidelines. As a result, he says, branches and subsidiaries of financial institutions based in Iran will be subjected to increased oversight.

Mnuchin spoke Friday in Orlando, Florida, at a meeting of the Financial Action Task Force. That is a global organization started in 1989 that works to stop money laundering, financing of militant networks and other threats to the integrity of the international financial system.

The task force says Iran has until October to make progress toward compliance before additional counter-measures will be taken.

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2 p.m.

The U.N. says Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' message to the United States and Iran is to avoid anything that would escalate the current tense situation and "to have nerves of steel."

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters at U.N. headquarters Friday that "the secretary-general firmly believes in the need for dialogue between the parties involved as probably the best way to defuse tension and to avoid any escalation."

Dujarric said the U.N. has been in contact with the parties at various levels and is passing the same message in public and it is in private, "which is to avoid any escalation."

Dujarric announced that Guterres will be attending the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan, next week but said he didn't know yet if the secretary-general would meet there with U.S. President Donald Trump.

Tensions have escalated dramatically since Iran downed a large U.S. drone which it said violated its airspace. The U.S. said the unmanned drone was in international airspace.

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1:35 p.m.

Diplomats say the United States has asked for a closed Security Council meeting on Monday on recent developments regarding Iran and the latest tanker incidents.

Two well-informed diplomats confirmed the U.S. request on Friday and said the closed consultations are likely to take place on Monday afternoon. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

The request follows Iran's downing of a large U.S. drone which it said violated its airspace. The U.S. said the unmanned drone was in international airspace.

The United States launched a retaliatory strike Thursday night which President Donald Trump said he canceled 10 minutes before it was to take place because he learned there could be 150 deaths.

The United States has also blamed Iran for using mines in the latest attacks on tankers in the Persian Gulf — which Tehran denies.

--Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations.

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1:20 p.m.

President Donald Trump says he called off a planned retaliatory strike on Iran after deciding the likely death toll on the ground wouldn't be "proportionate" to the shoot down of a U.S. drone.

Trump tells NBC News in an interview Friday that he was informed that about 150 Iranians would be killed by the strikes.

Trump says: "I didn't like it. I didn't think it was proportionate."

The president offered a similar explanation on Twitter earlier Friday.

The president also says he never gave a final order for the operation, and that U.S. military airplanes were not yet in the air but that they would have been "pretty soon."

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1:10 p.m.

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says any "hostilities" with Iran "must not be initiated without the approval of Congress."

The California Democrat said in a statement Friday that "We are in an extremely dangerous and sensitive situation with Iran."

She spoke after President Donald Trump confirmed that he had ordered, then canceled, a retaliatory strike after Iran downed an unmanned American drone. A spokesman for Pelosi said the House speaker, second in line to the presidency, had not been notified of Trump's plans.

At the White House a day earlier, Democratic leaders had warned Trump that "hostilities must not be initiated without the approval of Congress," according to Pelosi.

She called for de-escalating the conflict and advancing American interests.

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12:50 p.m.

President Donald Trump has discussed escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The White House says the leaders spoke Friday, the day after Trump confirmed that he canceled a military strike against Iran on Thursday after Iran downed a U.S. drone that it says was operating over Iranian airspace. The U.S. says the drone had been flying over international waters when it was attacked.

Saudi Arabia and Iran are regional enemies. Trump has been stepping up a "maximum pressure" campaign against Iran.

Trump and bin Salman also discussed the kingdom's role in ensuring stability in the Middle East and in the global oil market.

Trump has blamed Iran for recent attacks on oil tankers moving through the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

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12 p.m.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was not told of President Donald Trump's aborted plan to strike back at Iran for shooting down a U.S. drone.

A spokesman for Pelosi said Friday she was not given a heads-up about the military action. Pelosi is second in line to the presidency behind Vice President Mike Pence.

Trump on Friday tweeted that the U.S. was "cocked and loaded" to retaliate against Iran for downing an unmanned American surveillance drone. But he said he canceled the strikes 10 minutes before launch time after being told 150 people could die.

Congressional leaders were briefed about Iran on Thursday in the secure White House Situation Room, but Democrats afterward said they were uncertain of Trump's next steps.

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10:50 a.m.

The long-haul carrier Etihad says it has "agreed to change a number of the flight paths we operate to and from" the Persian Gulf after Iran shot down a U.S. military drone.

Etihad made the statement Friday night. It said it would offer passengers more details on its website about their flights.

Abu Dhabi-based Etihad announced its decision after Emirates and FlyDubai similarly changed their flight paths.

The shooting down of the U.S. Navy RQ-4A Global Hawk has escalated already heightened tensions between the U.S. and Iran.

Major international airlines say they have rerouted their flights to avoid the area after the Federal Aviation Administration issued a warning to pilots early Friday.

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9:25 a.m.

President Donald Trump says the U.S. was "cocked and loaded" to retaliate against Iran for downing an American drone, but canceled the strikes 10 minutes before they were to be carried out after being told some 150 people could die.

Trump tweeted Friday that the U.S. was ready to "retaliate last night on 3 different sights when I asked, how many will die." He said a general told him 150 people, and he canceled the strikes as "not proportionate to shooting down an unmanned drone."

Trump tweeted that the U.S. will never allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon. But he says he's in no hurry to respond to the downing of the U.S. surveillance drone over the Strait of Hormuz.

He says U.S. sanctions are crippling the Iranian economy and that more are being added.

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8:55 a.m.

The head of the Revolutionary Guard's aerospace division says a manned U.S. spy plane was near the drone it shot down but Iran chose not to target it.

Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh made the comment Friday at a news conference attended by The Associated Press in Tehran.

The Guard shot down a U.S. Navy RQ-4A Global Hawk on Thursday.

Hajizadeh said: "At the same moment, another spy aircraft called a P8 was flying close to this drone. That aircraft is manned and has around 35 crew members. Well, we could have targeted that plane, it was our right to do so, and yes it was American, but we didn't do it. We hit the unmanned aircraft."

The U.S. military's Central Command did not immediate respond to a request for comment.

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8:45 a.m.

A Vatican cardinal is begging the U.S. and Iran to step back from escalating tensions in the Persian Gulf, calling instead for political friendship.

In a tweet Friday, Ghanaian Cardinal Peter Turkson wrote: "On our knees, let's pray USA & IRAN do not unsheathe the weapons of war!" He followed it by tweeting: "Let nations cultivate political friendship and not mutual demonization. The former builds peace, the latter kills it."

Tensions have been heightened after Iran shot down a U.S. military surveillance drone over the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. said it made plans for limited strikes on Iran in response, but then called them off.

Turkson heads the Holy See's development and migrant department, and long headed the Vatican office of justice and peace.

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8 a.m.

European Council President Donald Tusk is denying that the EU has been too passive in its response to rising tensions between the United States and Iran.

After chairing a summit of EU leaders in Brussels Friday, Tusk said that "sometimes it's better not to intervene. The biggest problems in our history (were) always provoked by too active politics, not too passive."

Tusk says the leaders "follow the situation closely and are very concerned about the developments in the Gulf region."

But he says there was "no reason to prepare a specific European statement on this" at the summit.

The EU is urging restraint on both sides and the bloc's top diplomat is in regular contact with the two. The EU is struggling to uphold the Iran nuclear deal, which is at risk of collapse due to U.S. sanctions.

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7:50 a.m.

Indian officials say their navy has deployed two warships to the Gulf of Oman amid rising tensions between the U.S. and Iran.

Indian navy spokesman Dalip Kumar Sharma says the ships Chennai and Sunayna have deployed to the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman to undertake maritime security operations, escort Indian merchant ships and "coordinate between stakeholders."

Indian military aircraft are also conducting aerial surveillance in the area.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has reached out to foreign leaders to convince them that the apparent attacks on the key Mideast shipping route is a problem for the world at large. Iran is India's third-largest source of imported oil. Pompeo is visiting India next Tuesday, ahead of G20 talks in Osaka, Japan.

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7:40 a.m.

The long-haul carrier Emirates, based in Dubai near the Strait of Hormuz, says it is "rerouting all flights away from areas of possible conflict" after Iran shot down a U.S. military drone.

Emirates made the announcement in a statement on Friday.

It added: "We are carefully monitoring the ongoing developments and are in close contact with the relevant government authorities with regards to our flight operations, and will make further operational changes if the need arises."

Emirates is a government-owned airline. It's low-cost sister carrier FlyDubai said it has also "adjusted" some of its flight paths.

The shootdown of the U.S. Navy RQ-4A Global Hawk has escalated already heightened tensions between the U.S. and Iran.

Major international airlines say they have rerouted their flights to avoid the area after the Federal Aviation Administration issued a warning to pilots early Friday.

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7:25 a.m.

Singapore Airlines and Malaysia Airlines are joining other airlines in rerouting flights away from the Strait of Hormuz area after Iran shot down a U.S. military drone there.

Singapore Airlines said on Friday that some of its flights will take "slightly longer routings" to avoid the area because of the ongoing tensions. It said the safety of its customers was its top priority and that it continuously reviews the areas that it overflies.

Malaysia Airlines said it has rerouted its flights to and from London, Jeddah and Medina because "safety is of utmost importance." It said it is closely monitoring the situation and will be guided by various assessments, including security reports and advice from airspace control authorities.

British Airways, Australia's Qantas and Dutch carrier KLM earlier announced they will reroute flights away from the Strait of Hormuz.

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7:20 a.m.

German Chancellor Angel Merkel says European countries are still hoping that there can be a political solution to the tensions between the United States and Iran.

Merkel told reporters in Brussels on Friday that European governments' foreign policy advisers had met on the sidelines of a European Council meeting to discuss the tensions in the region.

She says "naturally we are worried about the situation and we're counting on diplomatic negotiations for a political solution to a very tense situation."

Merkel did not elaborate further on her comments.

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7:10 a.m.

The low-cost airline FlyDubai says it has "adjusted" some of its flight paths after the U.S. warned about the risk of commercial jetliners being attacked near the Strait of Hormuz following Iran's shootdown of an American military surveillance drone.

FlyDubai told The Associated Press in a statement on Friday that it "adjusted some of the existing flight paths in the region as a precautionary measure." It said it continues to monitor the situation.

The downing of the U.S. Navy RQ-4A Global Hawk has escalated already heightened tensions between the U.S. and Iran.

Major international airlines say they have rerouted their flights to avoid the area after the Federal Aviation Administration issued a warning to pilots early Friday.

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6:35 a.m.

Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokeswoman says Germany welcomes reports that President Donald Trump apparently decided against immediate military strikes in retaliation for Iran's downing of an American reconnaissance drone.

The spokeswoman was asked on Friday about reports that Trump approved military strikes and then decided against launching them the night before.

Martina Fietz says that "regarding President Trump, I can say that there are numerous statements and indications that the American president would like to avoid a military confrontation and we naturally welcome that."

Merkel has been calling for both sides to deescalate the tensions in the region and Fietz reiterated that "we welcome any steps that can contribute to de-escalation."

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6:15 a.m.

The head of the Revolutionary Guard's aerospace division says Iran had warned a U.S. military surveillance drone several times before launching a missile at it.

Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh made the comment in an interview with Iranian state television on Friday. Debris from what Iranian authorities described as pieces of the U.S. Navy RQ-4A Global Hawk lay behind him.

Hajizadeh told state TV: "Unfortunately they did not answer."

He added Iran collected the debris from its territorial waters. The U.S. military says that the drone was in international airspace over the Strait of Hormuz when it was shot down.

The shootdown of the drone has escalated already heightened tensions between the U.S. and Iran.

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6 a.m.

Iran has summoned the Swiss ambassador to Tehran, who also represents U.S. interest in Iran, to protests what it claims was an incursion into Iranian airspace by an American drone.

The U.S. has disputed that, saying the Navy's RQ-4A Global Hawk was shot down on Thursday over international waters, not inside Iranian airspace.

Iranian state TV on Friday reported that Swiss Ambassador Markus Leitner was summoned to hear Iran's protest over the alleged violation. Switzerland looks after the U.S. interests in Iran as Tehran and Washing have had no diplomatic relations since 1979.

Iran says the U.S. drone was a "very dangerous provocation" and urges the international community to demand that Washington end its drone spying.

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5:35 a.m.

Iranian state television's website has published images it says show debris from the U.S. military surveillance drone that Iran shot down the previous day.

The pictures show what appears to be the skin of the U.S. Navy RQ-4A Global Hawk. Iranian state television did not say where the debris was filmed.

The photographs did not show any circuit boards, wiring or electronic equipment.

An Iranian surface-to-air missile fired early Thursday brought down the RQ-4A Global Hawk, an unmanned aircraft with a wingspan larger than a Boeing 737 jetliner and costing over $100 million. The U.S. said it made plans for limited strikes on Iran in response, but then called them off.

The shootdown has further escalated tensions between Iran the U.S. as Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers unravels.

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5:20 a.m.

British Airways will re-route flights away from the Strait of Hormuz after Iran shot down a US military drone.

The decision comes after the Federal Aviation Administration barred American-registered aircraft from flying over Iranian-administered airspace in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.

BA joins Australia's Qantas and Dutch carrier KLM in opting to change the routing of their planes to avoid tensions in the area.

BA says Friday that "our safety and security team are constantly liaising with authorities around the world as part of their comprehensive risk assessment into every route we operate."

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5 a.m.

German airline Lufthansa says it is no longer flying planes over the Strait of Hormuz or the Gulf of Oman after the shooting down by Iran of an American reconnaissance drone.

The carrier says that the flights were suspended over the two bodies of water on Thursday, and that the zone was expanded on Friday to include surrounding areas of land.

For the meantime, the airline, Germany's largest, says its flights to Tehran will continue.

Lufthansa says the decision was based upon its own assessment of the situation.

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4:15 a.m.

Abu Dhabi-based long-haul carrier Etihad says it has "contingency plans" after the U.S. barred American-registered planes from flying through Iranian-administered airspace in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.

Etihad's statement to The Associated Press on Friday come as after a warning from the Federal Aviation Administration following Iran shooting down a U.S. military surveillance drone on Thursday.

Etihad said in a statement: "Etihad Airways is carefully monitoring the current situation. Contingency plans are in place, and we will decide what further action is required after carefully evaluating the FAA directive to U.S. carriers."

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4:10 a.m.

Dutch carrier KLM says its planes will not fly over Strait of Hormuz following the shooting down by Iran of a U.S. military surveillance drone.

The airline announced the move Friday morning, saying in a brief statement that the "incident with the drone is reason not to fly over the Strait of Hormuz for the time being."

KLM says the move is a "precautionary measure."

The Dutch carrier's decision comes after the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration barred American-registered aircraft from flying over Iranian-administered airspace in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman in the aftermath of the downing of the drone.

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4 a.m.

Australian airline Qantas says it will reroute flights away from the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman after Iran shot down a U.S. military surveillance drone.

Qantas said Friday it would affect its flights between Australia and London.

It stressed its flights pass over the region at 40,000 feet.

The decision on Friday comes after the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration barred American-registered aircraft from flying over Iranian-administered airspace in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman over the Revolutionary Guard shooting down the U.S. drone, affecting a region crucial to global air travel.

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1:30a

The United States made preparations for a military strike against Iran on Thursday night in retaliation for the downing of a U.S. surveillance drone, but the operation was abruptly called off with just hours to go. That from a U.S. official.

The official, who was not authorized to discuss the operation publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, told the AP that the targets would have included radars and missile batteries. The New York Times reported that President Donald Trump had approved the strikes, but then called them off. The newspaper cited anonymous senior administration officials.